VACCINE EFFICACY AND COVID MUTATION

Scientists were concerned early in the epidemic, fearing that the coronavirus may evolve into something more deadly. Unfortunately, that worry was verified in November 2020 when the first "variant of concern" was found. The newly identified variation, also known as COVID-19 - B117, has been linked to a large increase in cases particularly in London and south-east England and many other parts of the world. 

So, in this blog, I’ll be talking about COVID Mutations and what it means for us. So, Let’s begin by taking a brief look at mutations and how they occur.

In biology, a mutation is something that causes a change in the genetic material. Each and every element of a cell's existence is controlled by the same genetic material. A cell's genetic makeup determines how it develops, functions, behaves, responds, and finally dies. These mutations can occur for a variety of causes. It can occur as a result of errors, radiation damage, or chemical exposure.

In fact, mutations can happen at any time. As a result, mutations might be harmful, neutral, or even beneficial to an organism.

So, you might be wondering how Coronavirus is affected by mutation?

Well, the coronavirus attaches to our body's cells using a specific protein. Spike proteins are proteins that aid the COVID virus in latching onto human cells and initiating infection. Because of mutations in these proteins, the virus is able to adhere to our cells more firmly, making it more infectious. 

Furthermore, mutations in this area allow the virus to avoid our body's own immune system, allowing it to spread unchecked. This mutation has been termed as ‘E484K,' and as of December 1, 2021, the UK recorded a total of 14000 instances each day, with a decreasing trend. 

After this strain on 5th Jan 2021 – UK was reporting a record high 60000 cases per day with an increasing trend. It has been discovered that the new strain is more infectious than the previous ones. According to the CDC. "Multiple lines of evidence show that B.1.1.7 is more effectively spread than other SARS-CoV-2 variants". According to UK Biobank researchers, most patients infected with COVID-19 maintain the antibodies for three to six months.

Your antibodies may not be able to protect you if you come into touch with another strain of the virus, such as the extremely infectious variety from the United Kingdom, and physicians feel your risk of reinfection is considerable. This is concerning because it raises the risk of coronavirus reinfection, especially in severely or chronically sick individuals.

What does this mean for us in the present? 

Things appear to be on the mend for the time being. The need of fast and decisive action appears to have been recognised across the world. Countries shut off overseas travel as soon as the news of the new strain became public, particularly from the United Kingdom. Those who had already returned were tracked down, quarantined, and tested as soon as possible.  Even nations like India, where covid has already impacted over 10 million people, have successfully halted the spread of this alien strain.

What about the vaccine? 

Well, things are a little strange here. Studies were conducted in New York, Texas, and Cambridge to determine the efficacy of current vaccination alternatives against the new strain. They evaluated freshly vaccinated people' antibodies against the novel covid 19 UK strain. Their findings revealed that, while the vaccine's efficacy in protecting against versions harbouring the E484K mutation was somewhat decreased for some persons, it was still within acceptable limits for the majority of people. It's worth noting, however, that the research mentioned above are based on relatively tiny sample sizes, so any conclusions drawn aren't conclusive.

What does this mean for the future? 

This mutation is a foretaste of what's to come. Covid's future will be filled with fresh shocks and unknowns. The long-term effects of this epidemic are yet unknown. It's possible that another altered strain isn't far behind. On a more optimistic note, all hope is not gone; we have fresh information and experience with which to prepare.

We have global mass vaccination programmes that are coordinated by corporations all around the world and sponsored by governments, and they have the ability to permanently address this problem. To reduce the load, we're looking into medicines, novel therapies, and complementary and alternative medicine. Governments are actively taking efforts to eradicate this illness, such as mass media campaigns, raising public awareness, boosting health spending, and working with scientific specialists.

Impact of COVID Pandemic on the World.

On 11th march 2020, the WHO carried out a virtual press conference and confirmed our fears. COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, with such a wide reach and explosive magnitude, the world braced itself for the impact. Lockdowns were imposed, economies brought to a grinding halt and travel was shutdown. All of us were stuck where we had to embrace what COVID-19 had in store for us. 

Within a few weeks COVID propagated like a chain. To put that into perspective - that's the entire population of City of Houston, Texas, gone forever. Many of us suffered Gruelling days - battling fever, weakness and breathlessness. Many of us lost our invaluable loved ones, some lost their jobs and all their savings & many were left homeless. For better or worse COVID-19 has changed us permanently.

As the world is coming back on its feet & trying to regain its pre 2020 form & trying to retrace what went wrong. 

Here is a look of 5 things changed by COVID-19 forever. Lets begin. 

Number 1 - Your Wardrobe. 

The must-have fashion item of 2020 was a small piece of cloth to put around your face and the must have pocket item of 2020 was a small bottle of sanitizer. Even as you’re reading this blog- most of you will be having a mask nearby. That is the reality today. you may not realize it but your inner planning system has changed a bit. for example - there's always a sequence of items you confirm before leaving your home or work place. it goes something like - phone (most important of course), wallet and keys after 2020 it has become something like - phone, wallet, keys - mask and sanitizer this is a small but crucial addition. This trend of manufacturing masks was followed by clothing companies and retailers. Today you have masks in fashion lines and various designs to suit your needs. 

Local distillers and manufacturers everywhere have started their own line of sanitizer products - like liquids, sprays and gels. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of wearing masks and using sanitizers so its very important that you keep using masks and sanitizers until this pandemic is over. 

Number 2 - Mental health Anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts skyrocketed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A study conducted by the Centre for Disease Control found that the percentage of Americans reporting symptoms of anxiety increased about three times and the percentage of people with symptoms of depression increased about four times, compared with previous levels. This was coupled with an increase in alcohol consumption by 14% and increased drug abuse. Overall the survey found that nearly 41% of participants reported symptoms of at least one mental health issue. It is not entirely clear as to what is the reason behind this worrisome situation but factors relating to the pandemic such as social isolation, domestic violence , closure of schools and universities, unemployment, financial worries, as well as the threat of the disease itself, may be the contributing factors. These after effects of COVID-19 are invisible and this will continue as a silent epidemic IN ITS OWN & is affecting millions worldwide. There is an urgent need to address the mental health consequences of the pandemic, such as through increased access to resources for diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions. Also social distancing has promoted the expanded use of telehealth. 

Number 3 - an example set by New Zealand. 

Home to 5 million people New Zealand reported peak of around 1500 cases & by April 2020 daily cases dropped to around 150/day and when the world was struggling to breathe in this pandemic, on April 26,2020 – New Zealand reported 0 cases. 

So what exactly did the New Zealand administration do? 

Well, on 11th march 2020 WHO declared the COVID-19 as a pandemic, and on March 15, even though there were just 6 cases nationwide at that time, the country began mandatory quarantines for all visitors. This was - at that time one of the most strict policies in the world regarding COVID. Just 10 days later, NZ began a complete, countrywide lockdown, including a moratorium on domestic travel. The Level 4 restrictions meant grocery stores, pharmacies, hospitals, and petrol stations were the only buisnesses allowed. Vehicle travel was restricted; and social interaction was limited to within households. NZ Prime Minister made clear, concise statements about the situation to the nation, supported by a team of scientists and health professionals. 

A few days after the lockdown, she announced that instead of just slowing the transmission of the virus, New Zealand has set a course of eradicating COVID-19 from its shores, by cutting off the arrival of new cases and choking out the existing ones with the restrictions. The interesting thing about New Zealand is that the citizens got on board with the authorities. On day one of the lockdown, the streets and highways were empty, the shops were closed, and everyone stayed home that bring us to the crux - New Zealand is an example for the world to see and fix their own inefficiencies. Coordination and cooperation between the people, authorities and medical professionals is a must if one wants to battle such a deadly virus. 

Number 4 - climate change. 

There are always 2 sides of a coin - when humans suffered and the economy shutdown -nature flourished. Researchers from several institutions presented results in a virtual press conference on Dec. 7 at the American Geophysical Union's 2020 fall meeting. They found that Deforestation rates are decreasing in some places, air pollution is diminishing, water quality is improving and snow is becoming more reflective in some areas since the pandemic began earlier this year. Satellite images also show a reduction in environmental pollution in this time period.

One study found that the concentration of an air pollutant called particulate matter (PM) decreased around a third to a fourth of the pre-pandemic level in India. 

Another study found that there was a 40% decrease in water pollution in City of Manhattan during the pandemic. Despite this, it seems the positive developments have been short-lived – and overstated. 

Air pollution levels have already returned to pre-pandemic levels in 12 major world cities. Research also showed that the dramatic drops in air pollutants and greenhouse gases will have very little impact on global warming. This is because the changes made were temporary, and have come at the greatest possible cost. The production of single-use plastics and waste has increased considerably, especially as PPE usage surged, but all hope is not lost - COVID-19 has shown us just how difficult it will be to address climate issues, it has also shown what humans can achieve as a collective. Businesses, governments, and policy makers need to use COVID-19 as an opportunity to double down on sustainability commitments and investments We also need to lay the groundwork to rewire the economy and make it more sustainable going forward, because if we don’t - we will have to face catastrophic health, economic, and environmental consequences. 

Number 5 - Medical sector.

Healthcare systems have undergone and are still experiencing drastic changes. The pharmaceutical sector was at cut-throat competition to discover, develop and market medicines and bring in huge profits. 

Now we see bitter rivals, such as vaccine-makers GlaxoSmithKline and Sanofi, collaborate and join forces to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine. There is more emphasis on partnership and collaboration all over the globe. 

Countries are sharing treatments with academics all over the world to see if they can mitigate the worst effects of the virus and save lives They are also sharing expertise, research findings and manufacturing capability including exporting essential medicines and PPE equipment’s. This sets an example of humanity above profits. COVID-19 has acted like a wakeup call for the governments, as it has exposed the shortcomings of the health care system globally. Increased funds are being pumped into public heath, sanitation and most importantly - research and development. For most of us there will always be a pre covid world and a post covid world. 

I hope humanity never forgets what covid taught us..!